Consciousness

The day that Daniel caught me trying to take pictures of the sun, The previously salt-bleached name that was him Blushed crimson like a tree in autumn; And no matter how hard you try, You can't un-see something like that.

I am permanently mistrustful of railings; And the day I sprained my ankle I carried myself off the field. But cleats refused to fit my feet the same ever again.

Did you know that when scientists Place rats into a fake city And force them into overpopulation, They begin to steal and murder and assault And become hauntingly Human-like?

Perhaps the roots of evil dabble in quantity, They muse, While next door their colleagues ponder The most effective method Of impregnating Mrs. Jones With her fourth child.

My father's hands smell like oranges When he shakes me awake in the morning, And in spite of everything He still cringes if I chance to call him Daddy.

I watched an 80-year-old Porcelain doll Read her high school sweetheart to tears, And shuddered with the knowledge Of what cave bellies look like in the dark .

I can't find finish lines in the daylight, But that may have more to do with cliff faces And geysers Than the way I can't keep my eyes open in the wind.